I found an interesting article at http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/literacy/oconnor.htm. It had a title that caught my attention, Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing? I have often wondered how IM is effecting the English classrooms of today. I know that it was just starting to become popular when I was in high school so we had not yet seen the full effects of us using IM on a daily basis.
The article begins by giving a brief introduction of the types of new messaging technologies that have been introduced since the late 90’s and continues with a description and overview of Instant Messaging itself.
The part that I was most interested in was the academic effects of Instant Messaging. One portion of the article states that it seems with all the newer forms of messaging the Internet has formed its own English language. Some feel that anytime the students are reading and writing it is a step in the right direction. On the other hand some are seeing the effects first hand in the classroom with the type of “IM lingo” that is being turned in as formal writing assignments.
The article finally goes into giving actual instances where teachers have used some form of messaging in the classroom to engage their students. One teacher set up a chat room where her students could meet and discuss the books that they were reading. She allowed the “Internet English” only in the chat room. She said that this gave them a better understanding formal and informal writing.
I found this article to be very interesting. I remember when I was a permanent substitute for a year in a fifth grade classroom. I remember collecting their writing prompts and the students would be using “u” instead of “you” and “2” instead of “to”. It was frustrating because their thoughts and ideas were wonderful but the mechanics were not. I think that it is important to teach the students the difference between informal and formal writing. I would hate to discourage the students from any type of writing that they are doing, but on the other hand you don’t want it to hinder them in the long run.
I am interested to hear from some teachers in the upper grades and see if they are seeing the adverse effects on their students’ writing. Let me know what you think!
7 comments:
I think the question of helpful or harmful will always be an ongoing debate. Yes, constant instant messaging with little writing instruction will not help improve students' grammar skills. However, I think we need to look at it on a basis of time. How much time is really spent instant messaging versus writing appropriately. Each student will have varied amounts.
I know when I text, even if I use "u" instead of "you" I still think in my head how it is really spelled. It's almost like the students have to know the right way before they can begin to shorten it. Just my thoughts though.
I think that as long as students know when to use IM shortcuts then they will not be an issue in the classroom. For instance, I taught at a program called "Summerbridge Pittsburgh" and within the curriculum, the students had a public speaking class. One of the main objectives of this class was to teach students the difference between when to use proper english and when street talk was okay. I think that these same issues need to be addressed in writing classes with "IM lingo." Shortcuts are okay, students just need to know when they are appropriate.
After seeing your blog post, I went and read the article and I have mixed feelings about IM. I used IM a ton in high school, (I think I started using it in 8th grade) and have grown up with the new versions of it. I still faithfully use it today and have the same screen name as I did in high school. It's instant communication and you really can't beat that!
But, is it destroying the mechanics of students' writing? - I believe so. Even when I am writing professional emails I catch myself using the shortcut lingo. It's a tough habit to break. And texting? Who doensn't use LoL, u, 2, idk, lmk? Those are common ones I use, but I know the middle school kids of today use a ton more. I found a related article about texting at http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-02-14-messaging-linguists_x.htm which discussed the effects of texting and students' mechanics in writing,
I too see students using the type of writing they use in instant messaging in their formal writing pieces. It is frustrating because students have become so accustom to this type of writing that it is hard to get them to change. They use u instead of writing the word you out and use “texting type” abbreviations constantly in their work. It is kind of like we have to go back and reteach on a regular basis.
I think that it has this type of writing (IM and texting type) has made everyone a little lazier. I am a culprit myself abbreviating words and thoughts when we are e having our virtual chats. It is a new way of writing, but it is not really acceptable for real life. Can you imagine if a newspaper published articles with this type of writing? I think we would be less than impressed which is why we have to just keep reteaching students the correct way to formally write.
-Hailey
Like Laura Ann said, this question will always be debated in education. And as it has been mentioned, I see students utilizing instant messaging and text writing in their formal pieces, especially as an English teacher. However, I have used it to my advantage. I have taught different lessons with the motivation of "text-writing" and even slang. One specific content that can easily be connected to IMs and texts is Shakespeare. It is always interesting to make that connection because students shy away so easily because of its language. Therefore, it may not be a friend of student writing, but it is a friend of mine as a teacher. Good and interesting post Tam!
-Steph
I think it is a very interesting issue that this article discusses. I agree with the article that instant messaging has very little formation of the English language. I think instant messaging could be very effective if it was monitored by the parents. If parents took the time to teach their children how to format words and correctly use grammar when they are messaging then it could benefit their academics. I see children using lol, omg, and “u” for you when they are communicating through text messaging. This is where children lose their connection to school; they use shortcuts to try to get around using proper grammar. It is interesting that even as adults we sometimes are “habitual” when it comes to text messaging or instant message. Overall, I think student’s need to know when it is appropriate to use the proper use of the English language.
IM is just another form of the English language that we, as teachers, could use in order to get our students reading and writing. Although for the most part, IM is almost always grammatically incorrect, I still feel that it is a good starting point in getting the students interested in writing. It's a lot like a new form of slang or jargon. This debate reminds me of one that I had in an undergraduate class of mine that I explored what is "proper English?" With so many different dialects, slangs, jargons, accents, and even Pittsburghese, it's really hard to say what could or what could not be "proper English" these days. As a future English teacher, I will expect my students to use what is considered to be standard English on class assignments, but if they want to draft things out in IM speak, I say more power to them! Great article Tamra!
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